Dubai: As the 30-day countdown to the start of the 2012-2013 UAE flat racing season picked up a gear on Tuesday, the Emirates Racing Authority announced that the 2013 Dubai World Cup Carnival will begin on January 10 and culminate in the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 30.

This is the fourth year that the Carnival, which encompasses 11 high-quality race meetings featuring 27 Group and Listed races, will be held at the Meydan racecourse since it was launched in 2004.

A staggering $37,360 million (Dh137 million) in prize money will be up for grabs as some of the best equine stars from around the world descend on Dubai to contest seven Group 1 contests, 10 Group 2 events, seven Group 3 races, and three Listed events during the extravaganza.

Explaining the UAE’s racing philosophy, Malhi Al Basti, Meydan Group Board Member and Chairman of the Racing Committee, said: “The success of the Dubai World Cup Carnival and the Dubai World Cup has brought international prominence to racing in Dubai and the UAE.

“Each year we welcome the best in racing to Dubai for our Dubai World Cup Carnival, a season that is the goal of horsemen from around the world. It is our privilege to share our passion for this wonderful sport that connects the world through the power and beauty of the horse.”

The UAE flat racing season itself will kick-off at Meydan on November 8 with 20 race fixtures scheduled to held over the course of five months.

Dates for the Carnival are January 10, 17, 24, and 31; February 7, 14, 21 and 28; March 2, 9, and the Dubai World Cup on March 30.

The World Cup card, the world’s richest day of racing which surpass its own record in terms of purses in 2012, which once again offer a combined purse of $27,250,000 for the nine races including the $10m Dubai World Cup (G1).

This will mark the second year that the Dubai World Cup programme will comprise nine races after the Dubai Gold Cup (G1) joined the prestigious night of racing in earlier in March.

The list of Group races will include the Group 1 $10 million Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline; Group 1 $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic, presented by Longines; Group 1 $5 million Dubai Duty Free, sponsored by Dubai Duty Free; Group 1 $1 million Al Quoz Sprint, sponsored by Emirates NBD; Group 2 $2m Dubai Golden Shaheen, sponsored by Gulf News; Group 2 $2m UAE Derby, sponsored by The Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group; Group 2 $1 million Godolphin Mile sponsored by Etisalat; Group 3 US$1 million Dubai Gold Cup, sponsored by Al Tayer Motors; and the Group 1 $250,000 Dubai Kahayla Classic for Purebred Arabians, sponsored by Emaar.

Super Saturday will be scheduled for March 9 and once again will act as the star-studded prep-night for horses looking to compete at the Dubai World Cup meeting three weeks later.

A total of $1,775 million in prize money will be offered for the seven races headed by the Group 1 $400,000 Al Maktoum Challenge — Round 3 and its support events, the Group 1 $300,000 Jebel Hatta; Group 2 $250,000 Dubai City of Gold, Group 3 $200,000 Mahab Al Shimaal; Group 3 $200,000 Burj Nahaar; the Listed $250,000 Al Bastakiya; and the Listed $175,000 Meydan Sprint.

The Dubai World Cup card debuted in 1996 at Nad Al Sheba racecourse with six races.

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